Rock legends see songs soar to the top of the charts after death
Death doesn’t have to mark the end of a musical artist’s career. It might even provide a boost.
Hit songs by Eddie Money and Ric Ocasek (the frontman of The Cars) charted this week following the deaths of the two musicians earlier this month, according to Billboard.
Money’s 1986 hit “Take Me Home Tonight” hit No. 3 on the Sept. 28 Hot Rock Songs chart. The song was boosted by a 266 percent increase in digital sales, with 11,000 downloads sold, Billboard reported, citing Nielsen Music.
Eddie Money, portrait, circa 1975. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)
That wasn’t the only Money hit to reenter the charts. “Two Tickets to Paradise” hit No. 4, “Shakin’” went to No. 10 and “Baby Hold On” reached No. 12, according to Billboard. His album, “The Best of Eddie Money,” charted at No. 8 on the Top Rock Albums.
Meanwhile, The Cars’ 1984 hit “Drive” saw 7,000 download sales, a 1,526 percent bump, according to the report. That pushed it up to No. 6. Meanwhile, “Just What I Needed” hit No. 9 and “My Best Friend’s Girl” reached No. 21, and The Cars’ album “The Complete Greatest Hits” came in at No. 6 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, Ric Ocasek of the Cars arrives at the MusiCares Person of the Year event at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles. Ocasek, famed frontman for The Cars rock band, has been found dead in a New York Ci
It’s not unusual for there to be a spike in interest in an artist after their death. Some companies have even put holographic shows of deceased artists, and the Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Friday that it was charging one of them with fraud.
That company, Hologram USA Networks Inc., falsely claimed to have exclusive rights to stage holographic shows with performers like Whitney Houston, Roy Orbison and Tupac Shakur, according to the SEC’s complaint. The company also lied about having a network of theaters around the U.S. to put on its “resurrection attractions.”
The company raised $100,000 from investors with its lies as it claimed to be preparing to go public, the SEC said.
